New York’s spring season has focused on wearability and ease. And while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for retailers’ bottom lines, for trend-chasing editors and live-tweeting bloggers, relaxed fits and soft shapes aren’t exactly what anyone would call ‘directional.’

But leave it to Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez to know that women are looking for effortless apparel, and tweak it just so. The rounded edges, rough textures, and sharp lines of their fall collection gave way to cotton crepe pantsuits, minimalist coats, and sleeveless tops with just the slightest hint of peplum. The mid-calf pant length won’t be the most accessible item from their line, but it lent the collection a sense of quiet sophistication.

Jack and Lazaro outdid themselves for evening, offering fresh ideas for spring. The designers figured our eyes couldn’t handle seeing any more graphic cocktail dresses, so they experimented with pleating. Of course, being Proenza Schouler, pleats were interjected with strips of bronze and silver foil. They were remarkable, lively, and proved once again that in a week crammed with uninspired shapes and redundant concepts, someone out there is still thinking.